I'm NOT the Exception to the Rule

Have you ever heard an expert in some field make a statement and then find yourself thinking that it's true for most people but not for you? Ever think you're the exception to the rule?

We've been participating in Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University course through our church, and Dave has a strict no-credit-card policy. I agree with him completely..... Except when it comes to our Visa that earns points.

Now before those of you who've been around for a long time starting wondering if I've lost it, let me explain. You know that I'm TOTALLY anti-credit card. We quit using our credit card about a year and half ago, and we almost have it paid off. (YAY!)

However, we have a Visa with no balance that earns points. We use it for large purchases (car repairs, etc.) that we would have been buying anyway or things like our monthly prescriptions. Our insurance company makes us pay 100% up front and then reimburses 90%. So we would charge the prescriptions, earn the points, and then use the insurance check (plus 10% of our own money) to pay the balance each month. We were cruising along quite nicely, earning TONS of rewards points and redeeming those points for gift cards.

That all came to a screeching halt a couple of weeks ago.

I had been waiting for a reimbursement for my yearly eye exam and a year's worth of contacts, and I had left the charge sitting on the card. My plan was - as usual - to pay it off when the check arrived. But somehow this check was delayed.

... And I wasn't paying attention.

........ And we paid a few dollars in interest fees.

................ And I vowed to NEVER use that card again.

I know that Dave said that it doesn't pay to use credit cards just to earn points. I heard him loud and clear. I smiled and nodded. But I thought that I was the exception to the research that he's done for the past 20 years or so. Ahhh... vanity... pride...

The day that I found the interest charges was the day that I told my husband that it wasn't worth it. I realized that he had that idea all along and that I wasn't listening to him. (My pride again.)

We now have an envelope of cash earmarked for prescriptions. We have money in our bank account to cover car repairs or other emergency purchases, and larger planned purchases are budgeted. We really have no need for a credit card, points or no points.

The biggest irony of the whole situation.... Our bank awards points for using their debit card too. They don't accumulate as quickly, but it doesn't matter. It's not worth finding another stray interest charge on our account, especially when it's my own fault.

Lesson learned: I'm NOT the exception to the rule, even when I think I am.

Am I alone in this? Have you learned a lesson the hard way like this? Feel free to share your story.... and make me feel better!

This post is linked to:
:: Works for Me Wednesday hosted by We Are THAT Family
:: Frugal Friday hosted by Life As MOM


Photo credit

5 Meals to Keep in Your Pantry & Freezer

Do you ever have those weeks when life just happens? Boy, we do! Even the best of menu plans can't possibly account for times when life throws a curve ball.

To counteract the craziness, I like to keep my pantry and freezer stocked with several meals that can be made in a pinch. I try to keep some frozen browned ground beef and cooked, cubed chicken in my freezer to help with quick meals. I also try to keep a good supply of shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses in my freezer. Here are some of my favorite quick meal ideas.


Five Can Soup
1 can Progresso Minestrone soup
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz. can mixed vegetables
1 15 oz. can black beans
1 15 oz. can white corn
Mix it all together without draining anything and heat. You can even throw this in the Crock Pot for a few hours or all day. Sometimes we add some browned ground beef or cooked chicken to it.

Cheesy Pasta
3/4 box of Piccolini pasta (or whatever you have on hand)
2 c. cooked, cubed chicken
1 can Hunts pasta sauce (or whatever you have on hand)
1 tsp. sugar
1 c. mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Tonight I cooked up 3/4 of a box of Piccolini pasta until it was al dente. Mix in the rest and heat through.

Pizza
Crust:
1 c. warm (not hot) water
2 T. canola oil
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 c. flour
1 T. yeast

Mix ingredients in order listed in bread machine. I use my bread cycle, and my machine beeps when dough is ready. You may have to consult your machine's book to know when yours is done. In a pinch, you can just knead the dough by hand for five minutes. Place dough on pizza pan sprayed with canola oil, and spread the dough to cover the pan. Bake at 450 degrees for 5 minutes. Add sauce, toppings, and cheese. Bake another 8-10 minutes at 450 degrees.

If I have pitas or English muffins on hand, I'll use those in place of homemade crust.

Chicken Wraps
1 can refried beans
1/2 c. salsa
2 c. cooked, cubed chicken
1 c. cheddar cheese (Mexican blend is good too!)
12 corn tortillas

Mix refried beans, salsa, and chicken. Divide the mix among the tortillas. Roll each tortilla, and place seam side down in a 13 x 9 inch baking pan sprayed with canola oil spray. Bake uncovered at 350 for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, and bake another 5-10 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Grilled Cheese & Soup
You can't bypass the old stand-by! I like to keep several types of canned soups in my pantry so that we can use them in a pinch.


What are your favorite meals to keep on hand? Do you have any advice for making meals in a pinch?

This post is linked to:
:: Works for Me Wednesday hosted by We Are THAT Family
:: Frugal Friday hosted by Life As MOM


Photo Credit

The Wanna Cook It Book

Did you notice that this week's menu plan has been MIA? I've learned the hard way that I can't operate without a plan, so I really do have one. I just haven't had the time to get it posted quite yet.

My plan this week revolves around my newly organized Wanna Cook It Book. This is a book that I just finished putting together last week. It's filled with recipes that I've been wanting to try - been meaning to try! - but haven't remembered to include in my weekly plan.

I don't know about you, but I love finding recipes online and in magazines. I print them, clip them, and then stuff them into my recipe box. My box was so full that I was having trouble finding the recipes that I use on a regular basis. So I sorted through them and pulled out the recipes that I had found online and in magazines. I left my go-to recipes and the ones that had been given to me by friends and family.

I put the printed and clipped recipes into page protectors and organized them all into a three-ring binder. I'm calling it my Wanna Cook It Book and keeping it in my kitchen. I was even able to make the recipes that were on tiny pieces of paper more visible by putting several of them on the same page.


My goal is to incorporate at least one of those recipes into each week's menu plan. As I use the recipes, I'll either keep them in the book (if we love them) or toss them (if we don't). This week, I decided to kick start this idea by using 6 of the recipes.

Here's the plan for this week.

Monday
Leftover Cheeseburger Soup (recipe coming soon)

Tuesday
Popcorn Chicken
This recipe is from Laura at Heavenly Homemakers. This girl can COOK!
Sweet Potatoes with Glaze
Healthified Brownies

Wednesday
Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan
This recipe is from Erin at Five Dollar Dinners. Be sure to check out her cookbook!

Thursday
Crock Pot Pasta Fagioli Soup
Homemade Bread or Cornbread

Friday
Pita Pizzas

Saturday
Bistro Mac & Cheese
This recipe is from a Taste of Home Magazine.
Corn or Green Beans

Sunday
Leftover Pasta Fagioli Soup
Bread

For more ideas that work, stop by Works for Me Wednesday hosted by We Are THAT Family.

For more great menu planning ideas, stop by Menu Plan Monday hosted by I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Homemade Baking Mixes = Quicker Baking

I love to bake, but I don't always love to drag out all of the ingredients needed to bake. This is especially true now that I'm baking everything from scratch rather than from boxed mixes. To solve this problem, I started making my own ready-made baking mixes.

As I was making cornbread last week, I realized how many different ingredients I had out to make a little 8x8 pan of cornbread for one meal. To maximize my efforts, I decided to mix up the dry ingredients for five batches of cornbread while everything was out. I mixed one batch in a bowl and the other four in Ziploc freezer bags.

I then labeled the outside of the bag to show what the mix was, what needed to be added, and the baking temperature and time. (Yes, I should have labeled these ahead of time. Live and learn!)

Here's what went into the bags:
3/4 c. corn meal
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. sugar (Okay, it was more like 1/2 cup. Hubby likes sweet cornbread!)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. powdered milk*

Here's what I need to add before baking:
1 scant c. warm water
1 egg (or 1/4 c. Egg Beaters)
1/4 c. canola oil

*If you prefer, you can skip the powdered milk and warm water and use 1 c. of milk before baking instead.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. I make this in my toaster oven (which is also a convection oven), and it's delicious!

We were having Crock Pot Black Bean Soup tonight, and it just cried out for cornbread to go with it. I was able to grab a bag of mix, add three ingredients, and have cornbread ready in no time. I'm thinking about doing this each time I make a batch of any baked goods. Then I'll have mixes on-hand the next few times I want to bake each item. This definitely works for me!

Do you have any good ideas for DIY baking mixes? I'd love to have them!

For more ideas that work, stop by Works for Me Wednesday hosted by We Are THAT Family.

5 Ways to Build an Emergency Fund

Having an emergency fund.... Just close your eyes and picture that for a minute. Doesn't it bring a small measure of peace to your heart? Right now, we have our baby emergency fund ($1000) sitting in the bank along with a little extra we stashed away for some medical expenses. But that little emergency fund makes me relax a little.

I remember what it was like before we had our emergency fund started. EVERYTHING was an emergency! We ended up using credit cards for things like car repairs, because we didn't have the cash to pay for them. Now that we have the emergency fund, we seem to have fewer emergencies. When we do have an emergency (like an unexpected car repair), we can borrow the money from ourselves, restocking our emergency fund as we're able.

But how in the world can you start an emergency fund, especially when money is tight? I know that many families are living paycheck-to-paycheck right now, making the thought of saving $1000 look highly unlikely. Been there... done that... have a couple of debts left to pay off to show for it!

Here are five creative ways to start saving money and building that baby emergency fund.

1. Eat breakfast at home, and pack a lunch.
   
   This one is near and dear to my heart, because it's the one that I'm SO guilty of! I don't usually remember to pack my lunch the night before my work days, and I'm in such a hurry in the morning that breakfast is whatever I can grab. When I'm really running late, you'll find me driving through McDonald's or stopping at a convenience store for some breakfast and then eating fast food again for lunch. Not only is this unhealthy for me, it's unhealthy for our budget!
   
   If I can remember to pack lunch the night before, I can save about $5 by not eating lunch out. My packed lunch does cost a little, but nowhere near what I spend at the drive-thru. If I can remember to put something out for breakfast, I can avoid spending another $5 in the morning. That's $10 for every day that I work. I only work three days a week, but that's $30 per week x 52 weeks in the year.... or $1560. Sounds like an emergency fund to me!
   
   


2. Don't discount the small stuff.
   
   While it might be nice to stop by the bank and deposit $1000 all at once, that's not usually the way that a baby emergency fund is funded. Instead, it's funded $5, $10, or $20 at a time. If you can save an extra $5 at the grocery store this week, put it toward your emergency fund. Now you only have $995 to save. If you get a $10 rebate check in the mail, put it toward the emergency fund. Now you only have $985 to save. Chipping away at the $1000 is much easier than trying to come up with $1000 all at once. You'll be amazed at how quickly those little deposits add up!
   
   


3. Designate gifts for the emergency fund.
   
   Do you have family members who buy you gifts for your birthday or Christmas? Let them know that there's nothing you'd like better than to have an emergency fund. Maybe they would be willing to give you a cash gift instead, and you can add that your emergency fund. I know that there's nothing I'd like more than to help a friend or family member gain a little peace of mind by contributing to their emergency fund in lieu of a gift.
   
   You can do this with your spouse too, as long as both of you are willing. Skip the gifts for Valentine's Day, Christmas, and birthdays for a short time, and put what you would have spent toward your emergency fund instead. If your spouse isn't a fan of shopping, this is also a nice reprieve!
   
   


4. Sell some stuff!
   
   Oh, I know we all have a lot of STUFF. There's stuff we don't even remember we have! If you're really serious about building your emergency fund, why not sell some stuff? You could have a garage sale or yard sale if the weather permits. You could list some of your items on eBay or Craigslist. Maybe there's a consignment store near you. Why not drop off a few things to sell? You may not make a fortune, but wouldn't it be nice to earn $100 or $250 toward your emergency fund? Plus, you can declutter your house at the same time!
   
   


5. Pare it down, even if it's just for a short time.
   
   I'm talking about lifestyle here. Do you have cable? If you pay $50 a month for cable and you did without it for 6 months, you could put $300 toward your emergency fund. (You could probably also get a sweet deal for re-signing up with the cable company in six months!) Can you do without your landline and just use your cell phones? Can you cut down the number of times you eat out? Can you take a two-month break from shopping for anything but groceries? If you start to make a list of the things that you can do without - even if it's for a short time - you might surprise yourself at how much you can afford to put toward an emergency fund.

Having an emergency fund is so important. I can personally attest to the peace of mind that comes from knowing that we have that little cushion between us and life. Once we have our last two debts paid off, we'll be aggressively saving toward our regular emergency fund (three to six months of living expenses). I can't wait!!

Do you have any other ideas for creatively funding an emergency fund? Do you have an emergency fund? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic!

This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday hosted by We Are THAT Family and Frugal Fridays hosted by Life as MOM.

Works for Me Wednesday: No Copycats

Kristen from We Are THAT Family has asked bloggers to share some blogging tips as part of Works for Me Wednesday this week. As I thought about tips I could offer, there was one issue that kept coming to mind.

Don't copy.

Maybe it's the fact that I'm a teacher. I think I've spent my fair share of time telling students not to copy from each other. Being an online teacher, I find that I'm forever telling students that copying and pasting from a website isn't allowed.

The same is true for blogging.

Sure, bloggers share deals with each other. In fact, bloggers don't mind if other bloggers "borrow" individual deal ideas (printable coupons, a great price on an item at a store, etc.). But I live by a few ground rules that are oh, so important:

1. Give credit. If I received the deal via email straight from the company, then it's mine. If I saw it on another blog, then it's not. Sure, I can post it. I just need to give credit to the site where I found it, and link back to that site as part of my post.


2. Don't copy word-for-word. If I'm going to post the same deal that I saw on someone else's site, I don't just copy and paste it into my own site. I try to reword it so that it's just a little different. I might even add my opinion.


3. Don't take entire store matchup posts without permission. If you've been hanging around for a while, you know that I recently started offering store listings for stores that I haven't been covering. These posts are actually created by other bloggers. However, I. got. permission. I emailed each blogger, explained exactly how I was going to use the post, and only used posts with the original authors' permission. In fact, a couple of them had special requests as to how the post was used. I was happy to follow their wishes. Using without asking = stealing.


4. Share. If I find an exceptionally good deal, I'll email it out to some blog owners who are part of my email list. I don't share every deal that I come across... just the great ones. For example, when I found the $.75 off Goldfish crackers coupon last night, I did email that out. Hey, $.24 Goldfish crackers are enough to make any blogger want to share the news!

There is still much for me to learn as I blog the deals. This one tip is the one that is nearest and dearest to my heart. Do you have any blogging tips to share?

Birthday Party on a Budget: The Food

Before I dive into the food I'm planning for Emma's birthday party, I wanted to let you know that I'm trying to throw a nice birthday party -- complete with some splurgy items -- for my daughter's 5th birthday. While I don't want to go overboard, I don't want to be stingy either. In trying to find a balance, I'm documenting my little experiment here. I'm starting out with a $25 prepaid Visa that I won from playing an instant win game on the Huggies Enjoy the Ride website. I know that won't buy everything, but it's a good start!

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I sat down a few nights ago and made a list of the food I'd like to serve at Emma's birthday party. Since we have mostly adults coming, I'm gearing the food toward them. In fact, I'll end up making the birthday girl something just for her for dinner. My plan is to make two different soups for dinner. While soup may seem a strange party food, follow my logic here.

First of all, soup is fairly inexpensive to make. It will probably be cold, so it's a good warm-you-up meal too. Second, soup is perfect for this party, because it doesn't keep me chained to the kitchen. I can get everything made and leave it in the Crock Pot to stay warm. With many of our guests being from out-of-town, I want to spend my time visiting with them and enjoying Emma's part, not slaving away in the kitchen.

That said, here's the menu plan for the birthday bash.

Cheeseburger Soup
Black Bean Soup
a variety of crackers (from our stockpile - paid almost nothing)
bread from Panera (suggested by & brought by my mom)

I'm still throwing around the idea of a cheese tray or some chips. I may snag some Stacy's Pita Chips and True North nuts for next-to-nothing at CVS this week. I might also make these adorable lollipop cookies to go with our Candy Land theme.

And of course there will be cake. I'm still hunting down ideas for a Candy Land themed cake, but it should be fun!

The menu is simple... The cost is low... And that works for me!

For more ideas that work, stop by Works for Me Wednesday hosted by We Are THAT Family.

Coupons & Deals: You Don't Have to Do It All

Has there ever been a time when you've felt overwhelmed by the whole frugal, bargain-hunting, coupon-clipping way of shopping. Have you ever wanted to throw up your hands and just quit? Have you ever felt like you just can't keep up with all the deals? I know that I've kicked myself more than once when I've missed out on one spectacular deal or another! Why didn't I just muster up the energy and motivation to get to Rite Aid last week? How could I possibly have missed that sweet deal at CVS?

Then I remind myself that I don't have to do it all. Not only do I not HAVE to do it all, I simply can't do it all!

I have a sneaking suspicion that some of you think I shop more than I actually do. I'm a big CVS and Kroger shopper. Most weeks, those are the only stores I make it to. On my site, you'll find the deals for many other stores. I just don't want to give you the impression that I actually shop at all of them. The mere thought of it makes me feel a bit faint.

And the deals... Oh, there are some fabulous deals to be had! I like to post the ones that I think you'll be interested in. I just don't want you to think that I take advantage of all of them. If I did, we'd be broke! But I want to post the deals in case one of my readers is looking for a deal on a particular item or for a gift idea. Please don't think that I'm encouraging you to grab each and every one of these deals!

While bargain shopping can be fun - an adventuresome game to some! - it can draw you in and cause you to end up spending more than you would if you were just paying full price. I just wanted to take a minute to offer a bit of encouragement to those of you who are trying to do more frugal shopping in order to save your families money. I am doing the same thing. Let's agree together to just buy what we need and will realistically use (or what we can get free or almost-free for others) and not get drawn in by all of the deals at all of the stores. Let's promise each other that we're not going to try to do every single deal - at every single store - every single week. We're all going to be worn out if we try that! And where's the fun in shopping then?

Do you have any tips for keeping yourself in check when it comes to bargain shopping? How do you set a limit money-wise and time-wise? How do you stick to it?

For more ideas that work, stop by Works for Me Wednesday hosted by We Are THAT Family.

Works for Me Wednesday: Save Money by Organizing Taxes

It's that time of year.... TAX Time! I used to spend a lot of time scrounging through piles of paper (which are almost a permanent fixture on my desk lately) to find our tax documents. We would receive multiple W-2s, interest statements, and other important documents, and they would end up scattered here, there, and everywhere. It cost me time to find them all. And it cost us money, as there have been a couple of times when I've had to file amended forms due to my disorganization!

I knew there had to be a better way.

I have recently added a file folder labeled Taxes to the basket that sits on my desk. It's always there. Whenever we receive anything tax-related, it immediately goes into the folder. I don't worry about organizing what's in the folder. As long as it's all there, I can deal with it once a year when it's time to complete our tax forms.

This has been a huge time-saver and money-saver for us. Because, when it comes to taxes, it really does pay to be organized!

For more ideas that work, stop by Works for Me Wednesday hosted by We Are THAT Family.

Planning for What I Missed This Christmas

The end of the year always brings a time for reflection. This year, for me, it's been a time to reflect a little on Christmas. I did a better job this year of staying in the present. I wasn't wishing I could have or hoping I just might. Instead, I enjoyed each moment. I just wish that there were a few more moments to enjoy. There were some things I would have liked for us to do as a family, some projects I would have liked for us to do together.

As I reflect, I realize that I can't change how we did things this year. In fact, I wouldn't change the things we did get to do. We had a ball baking cutout cookies for the first time and decorating them! We enjoyed our Advent calendar, even though I didn't get it made until about 6 days into it. We did a quick trip to see some Christmas lights in town. We made a Christmas craft for Emma to give her grandparents and our brothers.

But there were some other things I would have liked to do. Rather than kicking myself for not accomplishing them this year, I'm planning them for next year. I just got my new family organizer for 2010, and I'm going to use it to plan ahead for next Christmas. I'm going to write in the November to-do list area some of the activities that I want to take part in. That way, I can begin to think about them and gather any necessary materials ahead of time, not the night before I want to do a project!

Some of the items on my to-do list for next Christmas:

• Decorate a gingerbread house. I already have a kit. I even got it out and put the box on top of the fridge this year. But we didn't get to it, because I waited too long to get it out. Next year, I'll have it on the calendar. We can create it early enough that it can sit out for us to enjoy for a really long time!



• Create a Jesse Tree. While our version of the Advent calendar did contain Scripture verses about the birth of Jesus, we want to be more intentional about teaching Emma about the lineage and life of Jesus. For some reason, I thought that there were only 12 ornaments and that I still had time at the beginning of December to get it ready. But alas... there are 25 ornaments, meaning that I needed to be ready on December 1. That's why this is going on my list for next year.



• Bake different types of cookies. We were able to make Emma's cutout cookies, some Ginger Crinkles, and some pumpkin cake. But that was the extent of our baking this year. I had the ingredients, but I didn't plan the time.



• Have our shopping done earlier. I did have the bulk of our Christmas shopping done before Thanksgiving even arrived. I found that we had a lot of odds-and-ends running around that needed to be done to complete the list, and I'd like to eliminate that for next year. I would like to spend the season celebrating, not mall hopping.
  


• Make some type of small gift/food item for friends. We did get our bread baked for our neighbors. The final loaf was in the bread machine on Christmas Eve! I did get some chocolate-covered pretzels made for my cousins too. Next year I'd like to create some yummy goodies boxes like THESE or other small gifts for some of my friends.Nothing extravagant... Just something to let them know that they're appreciated!



• Send our Christmas cards earlier. I got them out in the nick of time this year... maybe because I ordered them the Monday before Christmas!?! They were really adorable! I just want to get that project done a bit earlier next year so that it's not hanging over my head. Fortunately I re-gathered almost all of our Christmas card addresses after switching computers and losing them all this past summer. I'm ready with our address list for next year.

I'm sure that I'll be adding some things to this list as I really take the time to sit and think through my wishes for next year. My goal right now is just to be intentional about it and get the ideas on the calendar. That way, when the time rolls around next year, I'll be ready and waiting to enjoy the season without regrets!

For more ideas that work, stop by Works for Me Wednesday hosted by We Are THAT Family. You'll find everything from cleaning tips to recipes to organization ideas!

Works for Me Wednesday: Keeping Kids Out of the Street

Our house sits very close to the road. Fortunately, it's not a very busy road. But it's a road. Next to that road, we have two huge maple trees that dump lots bushels TRUCKLOADS of leaves down on us every year. (They also drip sap onto the vehicles we park under them... but we'll save that issue for another day!) This means that we spend some quality family time out front (close to the road) raking all of these leaves (close to the road). Did I mention that this is all done close to the road? That makes this mama VERY nervous!

Fortunately Emma is a good listener, and she played close to the house for quite a while. Then she got a little restless. Little by little she moved -- you guessed it -- closer to the road. So I improvised! I grabbed her sidewalk chalk and wrote huge alphabet letters on the sidewalk. I scrambled them all up, and then I challenged her to jump the alphabet in order.

Each letter took her a little bit of time to find, because they weren't in the traditional A-Z order. But she LOVED it! She went through the alphabet several times (which took about half an hour) and then started to spell her name, Mommy, Daddy, etc. This bought enough time for my husband and I to finish the Great Leaf Pickup of '09. (Of course, we were right there with her -- close to the road -- still making sure that she stayed put!)

In fact, she loved it so much that the next day she decided we needed some numbers too. (Note: We took both of these pictures on Day 2. While my husband is a HUGE Ohio State fan, he wouldn't make her wear the OSU gear two days in a row. A girl has to have some limits, you know.)

She jumped from 1 to 20 and then started on phone numbers that she knows. While not every kid is as crazy about numbers and letters as our little lady is, this one really did work for me! I guess all of those years of studying to be a teacher paid off! And, of course, Emma got to play in the giant leaf piles before they disappeared! (This picture is from Day 1 -- cleanup day. She was wearing her play pants and singing the Francesca Batistelli song "Free to be Me," the one that talks about having rips in her jeans. She loves that she has a rip in her play jeans!)


For more ideas that work, stop by Works for Me Wednesday hosted by We Are THAT Family. You'll find everything from cleaning tips to recipes to organization ideas!

Works for Me Wednesday: Grab Your Quarters

I had my first sighting! There was no bell ringing quite yet, but the Salvation Army kettle was being manned outside our Kroger store yesterday. While that's a bit earlier than I'm used to seeing them, I welcome the sight of these red kettles as a real-life teaching tool.

Starting now, I'll keep a stash of quarters in my purse or in the van. I like to use the ringing of the Salvation Army bells to explain to Emma that not everyone is as fortunate as we are. I like to tell her that there are kids who don't have enough clothes or very many toys. Then I encourage her to put the quarters into the bucket to help kids who need them. Last year it seemed to sink it, as she started to explain it back to us when she heard the ringing of the bells. She let us know that the kids' mommies and daddies would use those quarters to buy clothes and toys for the kids who didn't have them.

That's my girl!

For more ideas that work, stop by Works for Me Wednesday hosted by We Are THAT Family.

Works for Me Wednesday: Preparing for Christmas Baking Without Breaking the Bank

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to bake! This is especially true around Christmastime. Making homemade goodies can be a frugal venture, but if you like to do a LOT of Christmas baking, it can be a bit pricey. I suppose you could budget for it and specifically set aside a certain number of dollars each week leading up to the big Christmas baking shopping trip.

My way to prepare for Christmas baking without breaking the bank is to pick up one or two baking items each time I go to the store. I like to start this the first week of November. A bag of sugar here, a bag of flour there, and a bottle of oil now and again can really ease the pain of baking being a major Christmas expense. Plus it's nice to have everything you need on-hand before you're even ready to mix your first batch of cookies.

However, this does require me to be organized. This week I plan to sit down with my recipes and decide what I'd like to make for Christmas. I know that some dessert breads will be on the list along with Ginger Cookies, Pumpkin Bundt Cake, some hard tack candy, and lots of other goodies! We also plan to make a loaf of homemade bread for each of our neighbors. Once I have a list of everything I'm making, I'll have a better idea of what I need. (Of course this list will change many times, but at least I'll have a bit more flour, sugar, and oil on-hand for whatever I end up baking.)

For more great ideas to help you get ready for the holidays, stop by this week's Works for Me Wednesday hosted by We Are THAT Family. Many of this week's tips will be geared toward getting ready for the holidays!

Works for Me Wednesday: Getting Kids to Eat More Veggies the Easy Way

My daughter LOVES to eat veggies. We introduced them to her when she was young, and exposed her to a wide variety of flavors. She was most enthusiastic about carrots and sweet potatoes when she first started out. In fact, we had to put her in just a diaper when she ate either one. She was so excited about eating them that they were EVERYWHERE!

The extra effort of feeding her different types of veggies has really paid off! Cucumbers are currently her veggie of choice, but she really hasn't turned up her nose at too many different kinds.

One of the ways I try to get her to eat a variety of veggies is to make a veggie tray as a side dish with lunch or dinner. When I do this, I can't believe how many veggies she eats! She usually eats whatever I put on her plate, but with the veggie tray, she eats far more than what I would have portioned out to her. We had to remind her to eat her peanut butter sandwich last time we had a veggie tray at lunch! That's a good problem to have!

If you have a picky veggie eater, this might be worth a try. There's something about being in control of what you choose from the tray that just makes you want to eat more veggies. It works for me!

For more ideas that work, stop by Works for Me Wednesday hosted by We Are THAT Family.

Works for Me Wednesday: God's Nature Box

One of my favorite preschool assignments that Emma has received as "homework" is to create a God's Nature Box for a special show-and-tell session. Her teacher asked the kids to head outdoors with their parents to look around and appreciate the beauty of fall. She wanted them to collect items that reminded them of the awesome things that God has created. What a great project!

Emma and her daddy headed out and collected a cattail, a rock, some leaves, an acorn, a fern, and other miscellaneous nature items. They also took pictures of some things that you wouldn't necessarily want to place in a cardboard box... the lake, trees, mushrooms, and woolly worms.

The picture above shows Emma anxiously awaiting her nature walk. I'm so glad that Emma's teacher assigned this project, as it reminded us to not get so busy that we missed the beauty of God's creation this fall.

Filling a nature box works for me! For more ideas that work, stop by Works for Me Wednesday hosted by We Are THAT Family.

Works for Me Wednesday: Coupon Newbies... Don't Give Up!

I have some friends who are just getting their feet wet with the whole couponing thing. They have asked some excellent questions, and they're well on their way to saving a ton of money. They've made me think back and remember what it was like to be a couponing newbie. I was so frustrated sometimes that I wanted to just throw in the towel and call it quits.

Sound familiar?

I thought so.

Read on!

I certainly don't claim to have all the answers when it comes to this whole couponing and saving money thing. That's why it's great to be part of the frugal blogging community. The bloggers who share deals and the blog readers who jump in to share more ideas keep each other motivated to keep saving.

So let me offer some encouragement to those of you who are fairly new to couponing. Here are some of the major obstacles I faced when I was starting out and how I've learned to deal with them.

• I didn't have the coupons that the blog sites were mentioning. When I first started, I only had the last few weeks' worth of coupons. That meant that I couldn't do the deals that were posted online. If this is you, take heart! Just do the deals that you have coupons for. The rest will come. It does take a bit of time, but before you know it, you'll be digging out all of the coupons that you hear about online!



• I felt like I had to build a complete stockpile RIGHT NOW. Once I saw that others were able to simply walk to their cupboards and pull out a new bottle of shampoo at will, I wanted to be able to do that. And I wanted it NOW. What I didn't realize was that it took those people a great deal of time to wait for the great deals and stock up. Those stockpiles didn't appear overnight. And mine didn't either. Slowly but surely I stocked up on different items. I had to be very careful when I started out. Because I wanted my stockpile NOW, I was tempted to pay more for stock-up items. Now I realize that I can wait for rock bottom prices to build that stash. My stockpile was kind of lopsided for quite a while, and it still gets that way now. Sometimes I have a ton of shampoo but run out of dishwasher soap. Not to worry... The sales are cyclical. They'll all come around again, giving you another chance to snag great deals and add to your stockpile.
  



• I thought I was going to have to devote every spare moment to finding the best deals. Then I realized that it was all about balance. Sure, there are some weeks when I spend more time deal-hunting than others. But I try to keep perspective. Deals will always be around, but special moments with my family may not be. I have to remind myself to focus on what's important and not spend all my time reading up on the latest deals. Reading frugal blogs is very entertaining. Don't let it consume you! I know some people who set a time limit for themselves. Others (like me) try to not be using the computer while their kids are awake. They only deal-hunt during nap times and after the kids go to bed at night. That automatically limits the amount of time spent.
  



• I almost gave up too soon! Give it time. Like any skill, frugal shopping takes time to learn and fine-tune. Pro basketball players didn't just walk onto the court one day and wow the coaches. They put YEARS of hard work into honing their skills. I'm not saying that it's going to take years for you to figure it all out. I'm just asking you to give yourself some time to learn the ropes. Read when you can. Practice your skills. And don't get frustrated when a deal doesn't quite turn out as great as you had anticipated.
  



• I tried to pull off really complex deal scenarios. Start small. I remember reading blog posts by people who had gotten MANY dollars worth of personal care items at CVS for just pennies. When I ended up spending $10 out-of-pocket at CVS, I got frustrated. Why couldn't I get my total down to pennies? That's where practice and knowledge-building came into play. I just had to learn how to do it, and I had to practice. Once I stopped trying to do huge, fancy deals at CVS, I started spending less and getting more. Keeping it simple was the key for me. If I had it to do over again, I would limit myself to $5 or so out-of-pocket each week at CVS. I would have focused on just the best deals, especially things that my family would definitely use. That way, I would have been forced to start slowly and build. It's too easy to overspend, even when you're trying to be frugal!



• I thought I had to read every frugal blog out there. My advice... Choose a few blogs and stick with them. There are SO many great frugal blogs out there! In fact, if you're reading this, I'm honored that you took the time to stop by. I realize how many choices you have for reading! I've taken advantage of the reader feature of Google's Blogger. If you're a registered user and you go to your Dashboard, you'll notice that the bottom half contains a blog reader. You can add blogs to your reading list, and you'll be notified when there are new posts on those blogs. When I started out, I kept finding great new sites! So I kept adding them to my reader.... until I couldn't keep up. There was just too much information, and much of it was being repeated from blog to blog. I decided to streamline and delete some of the blogs from my list. I kept the ones I felt gave me the best return on my time investment, and those remain in my reader.

If you're new to frugal coupon shopping, I hope that you'll stick with it and give it a chance. I can't begin to tell you how much money my family has saved because we've changed the way that we shop. It's amazing!

If you're a veteran frugal coupon shopper, feel free to leave any additional advice or encouragement in the comments section. We've all been there and have tales to tell!

For more great ideas that work, stop by Works for Me Wednesday hosted by We Are THAT Family.

Works for Me Wednesday: How to Save Even More When You Buy on eBay

I love to buy things on eBay. It's my first stop when I can't find something locally. I'm usually looking for something out-of-the-ordinary, or I'm looking for a great bargain. Either way, I don't want to pay any more than I have to. I've learned a few things as I've bought and sold on eBay over the years. If you're new to eBay or a veteran, maybe these tips will help you save even more when buying there.

1. Set a limit. Know ahead of time how much you're willing to spend, and don't go over that limit. It's easy to get sucked into the I-gotta-have-it-ness that you find on eBay. But not getting lured in by the thrill of the win will help you save money.



2. If it's an auction item (not Buy It Now), wait to bid until the very last minute.... literally. Find your item, get signed in, and then wait. If you have anything faster than a dial-up connection, wait until there is one minute left on the auction. Then bid. Bidding any earlier gives others a chance to outbid you. And it tempts you to outbid them, causing you to break Rule #1.



3. When you bid, enter the maximum that you're willing to pay. eBay is set up to bid the lowest amount possible to outbid the last person, without going over your limit. For example, let's say the current bid is $2.15, and the most you're willing to pay for the item is $7.50. Bid $7.50 at the last minute. eBay will only bid $2.50 (or whatever it takes to make the next highest bid). If someone else entered a higher amount as their maximum, yours will automatically be bumped up until it reaches your maximum. Then it will stop.



4. Bid strange numbers. If you only want to spend about $18 for an item, don't bid $18. Instead, bid $18.37. That way, if someone else was hoping to pay $18 for the item, your maximum bid will override theirs. That extra $.37 will win it for you.



5. Watch the shipping charges. Buying from sellers in the US will usually get you lower shipping rates. eBay is cracking down on inflated shipping, but you still don't want the cost of the item plus shipping to be more than you would have paid somewhere else.



6. Check the seller's feedback rating. The higher the rating, the more likely you are to get good service. If a seller has a rating in the 90s, you might want to read through their feedback. Sometimes people leave unfair feedback, so you want to be able to judge for yourself.



7. Search for your item more than one way. Enter several different search terms to see if different items are available. Sellers can list items any way they want, so be creative as you search. I even read a tip one time to misspell words on purpose. That way, you might find an auction with a typo, one that no one else has found when searching with the correct spelling.



8. Pay with PayPal. It's the only way I've found to ensure that you're going to receive what you paid for. Never send personal checks, cash, or any other form of payment. Scams do happen, so you want to keep yourself safe. PayPal has some built-in security features that help you keep your personal information confidential. They will also go to bat for you if there's a problem with an eBay seller.

If you're an eBay shopper (or seller), feel free to leave your tips in the comment section. If you have questions that I didn't address here, feel free to leave those too. With Christmas right around the corner, eBay will be filling up with great gift-giving items. Hopefully we'll all be able to snag some great deals!

For more great ideas that work, stop by Works for Me Wednesday hosted by We Are THAT Family.

Works for Me Wednesday: Entertaining the Dog when Company Comes

Meet my dog Lizzie. Lizzie is a Jack Russell Terrier, reportedly one of the most intelligent dog breeds on the planet. Most days I would agree with that statement. She learns very quickly, and she is quite well-behaved....

Until company comes.

When company comes, Lizzie morphs into someone else's dog. I'm sure of it, because MY dog *ahem* never acts like that. So, to recapture the normal behavior of MY dog, I have devised (and tested) a plan.

I have company coming this weekend. My cousin, whom I've not seen for a couple of years and who is a total stranger to Lizzie, is visiting from Virginia. She is bringing her dog, adding to the potential craziness of my dog. So, when I stopped at Kroger to pick up a few items for the week, I also picked up two nice-sized soup bones. They're in my fridge right now. I'll be cooking them tomorrow.

No, I'm not making beef vegetable soup. (Though that sounds like a pretty yummy meal to serve guests!) I'm making a distraction. I'll store the cooked bones in the fridge until Thursday evening when my cousin arrives. At that time, we'll spread out an old blanket in one corner of the kitchen and give Lizzie her bone. When my cousin's dog enters the house, we'll invite him to the blanket and give him a bone too.

Trust me... I've done this... And it works. The dogs are so intent on those bones that they could care less about us! And I like it that way.

For more ideas that work, stop by Works for Me Wednesday hosted by We Are THAT Family.

Works for Me Wednesday: The Ultimate Spill Cleaner-Upper

My friend Julie gets credit for this idea. She just told me that her mom always keeps a spare diaper in their car glove compartment... and it's not for toddlers' accidents! She uses it when someone spills something in the car.

This was an idea born of necessity -- as all great ideas are -- and one that really works. She had a small passenger who caused a big spill, and there was nothing in the car to clean it with. So, she looked through the diaper bag. All she saw was a diaper. That was the AHA! moment. Diapers are incredibly absorbent! She opened up the diaper and laid it on the spill. It soaked it right up. Now she keeps a spare diaper in her glove compartment all the time.

I have some swimming diapers that Emma didn't use once she was potty trained. I'm thinking that those might work? So they're headed for the van. It works for me!

For more great ideas that work, stop by Works for Me Wednesday hosted by We Are THAT Family.

Works for Me Wednesday: Making the Most of CVS CRT Coupons

I have this love-hate relationship with my CVS CRT (Cash Register Tape) coupons. You know the ones.... They print at the bottom of your CVS receipts, making the receipts as long as both of your arms.

I love them! They NEVER expire now. They can be stacked with manufacturer's coupons from the newspaper or Internet, making it legal double-dipping. In fact, I'm planning to earn $3 at CVS this week if I can find a store that has the Sense & Sprays. If I buy 2 Sense & Sprays for $5 each, I get back $3 in ECBs. I have 2 $4 off coupons from Sunday's paper, and I have 2 $1 off CRT coupons for any Glade product. Yep, that's $10 off, making them totally free. And I get back $3 in ECBs. So, I'll probably pay $.70 for tax and get back $3.00. I like that kind of math. And that's why I love CRT coupons!

But I hate them! Did I mention that they NEVER expire now. That means that the envelope full of CRT coupons just keeps growing and growing and growing. I've almost outgrown the letter-sized envelope that I keep them in. What in the world am I going to do with more of them!?!?

But I can't throw them away. Oh, I sort through them and get rid of ones that I know I'll never use. (Although I'm pretty sure I tossed Poise CRTs, not realizing that they would be moneymakers this week.) I had to come up with a way to organize them so that I could truly make the most of them. Here's what I came up with.

I'm using one of those $1 photo brag books/recipe card books that you can pick up at the dollar store or Joann Fabrics. The one I have holds 32 pictures/cards.

I have turned this into a filing system for my CRT coupons from CVS. I am dedicating each page to a specific category of CRTs. For example, the first two pages are dedicated to air fresheners and food items.

I'm going to evaluate my CVS shopping list each week and try to pair CRTs with the items I'm purchasing. I'm hoping that this will help me save even more at CVS. I'm sure that I'm going to end up with more CRTs than this little album can hold, but I'm going to give it a try for now. Hopefully I'll be using the CRTs, saving money, and keeping the book at a manageable size.

It works for me!

For more ideas that work, stop by Works for Me Wednesday hosted by We Are THAT Family.